The Ukraine has the second highest population of countries in the former USSR, with an estimated population
of 51,867,828 in 1995. Only Russia has more people. Ethnic Ukrainians make up 73 percent of the population,
while Russians have 22 percent of the population. Other minorities include Belarusians, Moldovans,
Hungarians, Bulgarians, Poles, and Crimean Tatars. Ukrainian is a Slavic language closely related to Russian,
and is the official language, although Russian is widely spoken.
Dominant religions: Orthodox, Greek Catholic Capital: Kyiv with population reaching 3 million Languages:
Ukrainian, Russian Money: 1 hryvnya = 100 kopiykas Time zone: GMT +2 hrs., GET +1 hr. Population:
48 million
Zhitomir city and area
There is only 130 km to Kiev, but bustling of big city, seems, somewhere quite in other galaxy, as Zhitomir is
quite, unhurried and age-old city. Thus it is located in the center of Ukraine, and there was capital of Ukraine,
where in 1918 the government of UNR worked here during a few weeks.
Even the name of the city is patriarchal, stable: two parts interlaced in one word «zhi» («rye») and «mir».
Whether here rye was measured (and then it was sold out to other countries) once, whether voevode Zhitomir
lived, a soldier or of Askol'd and Dur, the legends could not come to the consent in any way in this toponymy
question, but it is truly known that as early as ІІ millennium B.C. on territory of modern regional center people
already settled and left after themselves burial mounds and burial grounds.
Later on, scientists suppose, here there was a center of tribe of people, which were farmers. The only thing is
that word the «mir» in the name of city, did not commit to the fate of Zhitomir in old times! Horde of Baty-khan
fully destroyed a settlement from the face of earth in 1240. Since XІ of century generous Polessye land was
trampled down by the hoursnot once. In 1399 Edigey -khan took and ransacked Zhitomir. Then there were
Crimean Tatars in 1469, horde of Mengli-gireya in 1482...
It is not vainly that today constructors from time to time run against age-old underground passage, have been
digged by the habitants of city even as early as those restless times. Yes, exactly cities: Zhitomir took the
Magdeburg law as early as 1444. It is heavy to imagine a medieval city without a castle - and it was here, not
vainly and nowadays the Zamkovaya area was saved in town. It is known that in 1540th a stronghold was fixed
by a local architect Semen Babinskiy. But a deep ditch and strong walls did not survive a Cossack attack in
1648, when Bogdan Khmel'nitskiy stormed Zhitomir. Another heroic event of liberation war of the Ukrainian
people: in 1651 near a city storm-troops of Ivan Bogun defeated the 17- thousandth army of prince Chetvertinskiy.
Not vainly and today builders time after time are stuck in on age-old underground motion, cities tunneled
habitants as early as those restless times.
Since 1804 Zhitomir could be praised by new status: he was confirmed as the administrative center of the
Volyn province. High school and district school, finishing school, library are opened. Michael Schepkin and
Anton Rubinshteyn made performance in a local theater. In the city there were M. Kutuzov, P. Bagration,
Denis Davidov, and Taras Shevchenko.
The new twentieth century brought changes - and not always they were to the best. Only in 1917 power
changed in the city... thirteen times! Then there was industrialization: the 1st Volynskiy chavunnolivarniy
factory "Sel'mash" opened in Zhitomir, there were also factories of musical instruments, paintwork, hosiery,
furniture factories. And today Zhitomir is an important industrial center of Poles'ya and Volyn. Here there is
production of electronic devices, machine-tools, glass, chemical fiber, footwear, furniture. The city is a large
transport road junction, which stands on crossing of ways from Kiev on Warsaw and, from Minsk on Izmail.
A tourist could be blue here: in the city there were remained from the past Mikhaylovskiy and Preobrazhenskty
(1864) cathedrals, church of the Blessed Virgin, monastic cells of Jesuit monastery (1724). Cathedral of St.
Sofia (1737-1751) is located next to a good-looking palace - Zhitomir regional museum. By the way, it is worse
to pay attention : created as early as 1865, a museum keeps luxurious collection of the European painting of
XVІ-ХІХ centuries,withdrawn in 1919-1920 from volyn`s landowners. Even capital collections would envy
Zhitomir`s treasures - works of A. Karachchi, S. Del Pyombo, L. Dzhordano, A. Turka, F. Furini, V. Van der
Vel'de junior, B.Van der Khel'st, K. Slabbert, D. Teners, P. Van Blumen, Sh. Lebren, G.Robber and other.
If you are not interested in old times, and would like something super-modern, cosmic? You are welcome to the
pavilion of space system engineering opened in 1987, component part of the State museum of Cosmonautics
the name of S.P Korol'ova. Why exactly in Zhitomir? And because exactly in this town, in 1907, on the street of
Dmitrovskoy, the Main designer of the first space satellite and spaceships Sergey Pavlovich Korol'ov was born .
There is a memorial museum operates now at his home. There is another literature-memorial museum in Zhitomir
was opened in a house, where lived the first 13 years of life the writer Vladimir Korolenko. And there are also
museums of nature, fire prevention, literary museum...
And it is some more very beautiful in Zhitomir. Simply beautifully: there are the picturesque steep banks of
Teterev and Kamenki which attract tourists and artists, there are coniferous forests round a city hide numerous
sanatoriums and rest home, there is a great number of parks and remarkable hydro park, located on the banks
of Teterev give feeling of rest and comfort. And who would think that it is only 130 kilometers to Kiev!
Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.Prov 31:8